An 840-ton generator rotor was installed on Tuesday at the Datang Zala Hydropower Station in the Xizang autonomous region, which is being equipped with the world's largest impulse hydropower units in terms of single-unit capacity, China Central Television reported.

Photo via China Daily

The station, a key project designed to transmit electricity generated in Xizang to other parts of China, will also be equipped with two 500-megawatt impulse turbine-generator units.

The project incorporates high-altitude, ultra-high-head, and large-capacity hydropower technologies. The latest milestone demonstrated China's progress in developing core technologies for large impulse hydropower equipment, the report said.

Weighing about 840 tons, roughly the combined weight of 560 passenger cars, the rotor is a core component of the generator and plays a key role in converting energy into electricity. Its installation means the project has entered the final stage before commissioning, according to the report.

Once fully operational, the hydropower station is expected to generate nearly 4 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity per year, saving about 1.3 million tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 3.42 million tons annually.